I'm not 100% certain about this ( maybe one of our German contributors can clarify ), but I think that 'Hannes' is a familiar abbreviation of 'Johannes'.
I'm not 100% certain about this ( maybe one of our German contributors can clarify ), but I think that 'Hannes' is a familiar abbreviation of 'Johannes'.
I’ve never really understood the whole Whitman circus.....so, he was good at knocking out Bren Carriers and half tracks with his 88.....but when he came up against something comparable he lost. Otto C on the other hand was up against proper tanks, and in several different models himself....AND he survived...
Yes it is Martin .by Martin Bull
The gates of hell were opened and we accepted the invitation to enter" 26/880 Lance Sgt, Edward Dyke. 26th Bn Northumberland Fusiliers , ( 3rd Tyneside Irish )
1st July 1916
Thought shall be the harder , heart the keener,
Courage the greater as our strength faileth.
Here lies our leader ,in the dust of his greatness.
Who leaves him now , be damned forever.
We who are old now shall not leave this Battle,
But lie at his feet , in the dust with our leader
House Carles at the Battle of Hastings
When Wittmann raced across the open field in Cinthaux, he left both flanks wide open.
Huge mistake.
He paid the price, all four Tiger's were picked off one by one.
He got his tactics totally wrong.
It's a fair comment. sadly, there's a lot of post-war hero-worship involved ; and I'm not going to dip my toe in a Waffen-SS argument......
But as someone who admits to being very interested in Wittmann, I thought I'd offer my personal view FWIW. Actually, the Circus itself fascinates me. As so often, having a Propaganda Kompanie ( or Company ! ) in the right place at the right time helps. ( The immediate post-VB radio interview is quite unique ).
But overall, I have an abiding interest in the Normandy armoured campaign and Villers-Bocage is important - not just for the tactical defeat inflicted on 7th Armoured Divn, but - thanks largely to the German media - the psychological impact on the British forces. Having read many first-hand accounts, there's no doubt that the story of 'a single Tiger bringing an entire armoured division to a halt' affected British morale at the sharp end and played a major part in elevating fears of Tigers/88s lurking behind every hedgerow.
And like all good myths, he's enigmatic ( no memoirs etc ) and in true James Dean fashion - he met a violent death. So it's a great story with plenty of gaps for internet warriors to try to fill.......
Last edited by Martin Bull; 08-30-2020 at 11:44 AM.
Thank you Martin - that goes a long way to explain one angle of it. I guess the Propaganda machine is the issue......”knocking out an entire column of evil enemy armoured vehicles single handedly” sounds a lot better than “sledge hammer to crack a nut”...and the James Dean analogy is a very good one indeed - I shall now add him to the list of Poster Boys (Che, Dean, Kobain and now Witters) who also died young. “Too cool for school” is the saying I believe......sadly “not cool enough for the 17 Pndr” doesn’t have the same ring!
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